Coloring our world

 

During Bea's visit, we spent the evening at the Paint Pub trying to find our inner artist.

Charlene cracks me up! When she's concentrating, she silently smacks her lips. She used to stick her tongue out (just a little bit) but no more.  :) 

 

 

My rebel child - Delanie - decided to put her own spin on the painting.  She wanted the painting to go in her room so she did it in black and white.  It turned out really well! :)

 

The lonely bench........

 

Voila......the finished products.

 

Flashback Friday

Happy Friday!!

 

 

 

I love this picture! It was taken the week of Thanksgiving 2008 when Ann Marie, Ruth & Carol came to Texas for a visit. We spent one very chilly afternoon - 9 degrees to be exact - inside the Gaylord at the Ice exhibit. Every year, the Gaylord is host to hundreds of ice scultors creating works of art around a cental theme. This year it was a Charlie Brown Christmas.  :)

Bea's back in town!

Last week was pure Heaven at our house!  Charlene came for a long visit........yeah baby!!

She wasn't in Minnesota more than an hour when she got busy in my garden.  Truth be told, I have been super lazy keeping the plants up so I gave her full reign! :)

She couldn't believe how many veggies were ripe for the picking.  Tons of tomatoes, onions and jalapenos.......all ready for her magic touch. 

Let me tell you one thing........no one (and I mean NO ONE!) can cook like my sister.  She made salsa, pico de gallo, jalapeno poppers, tomato/mozzarella salad.......yum!!! 

It's always amazing what you get done when you have company.  There is a tiny French bakery down the street from our home.  I've never made my way in until last week.  Check out our treats....

 

 

Stay tuned for more details of our action-packed week.  :)

Flashback Friday

Happy Friday!!

 

Disney World - 2006

Flashback Friday

Happy Friday!!

 

Story time with big brother - March 2001

Stop waiting

Fish stories

While at Maddens, Jim and I rented a boat and fished for three straight days!  I think the one place Jim is the most relaxed is on a boat.  He grew up on the water and absolutely loves it. 

 

Check out his catch of the (first) day.....

 

 

If you know me at all, you know that there is no way that I'm going to touch a worm or minnow to bait my own hook.  And.....there's no way I'm touching any fish I catch to remove the hook.  Nope, not happening!!  Jim patiently did both for me for as long as I wanted to fish. 

 

 

Isn't he cute........?! :)

I am not quite the fisherman that my sweet husband is.  He literally fished non-stop for the full three days.  I would spend my days fishing some, napping some, reading some, etc.  In fact, I read a book from cover to cover during our time away.  That is definitely my idea of Heaven! :)

 

 

 

Maddens

 

Remember my post about this trip to Breezy Point last year?  For our second annual trip "up north", Jim and I decided to go to Maddens this year.  This place was amazing!  Seriously......I would go back every year if we could.  :)

 

 

Located about two hours north on Gull Lake, Maddens is made up of everything you could want on a vacation.  It was so nice to spend a long weekend relaxing with my best friend. 

 

 

Just like last year, one of my favorite things was building a fire on the beach. 

 

We rented a cabin right on the beach.  Check out the amazing views from our back porch.....

 

The back of our cabin faced west so we got a beautiful view of the sunset.  Why am I not surprised that Jim was thoughtful enough to think about this when he reserved the cabin? :)

 

During our stay, we rented a pontoon for three days.  I'll post details of our fishing adventures soon.  There was tons of sandy beach to enjoy too.  We both paddle boarded and kayaked.  The weather was perfect except for about an hour on Friday.  As soon as we launched our kayak, the rain started!  We were stuck in the rain about 100 yards from shore.  Needless to say, we booked our booties back to the shore to get warm and dry!  Even the rain couldn't dampen our spirits.  In fact, it was pretty romantic.  :)

 

 

Everywhere you looked, there was such beauty.  Everything you could want in a vacation was taken care of.  The staff at Maddens is incredible!

 

Check out the lily pads..... :)

 

All in all, the time we spent up north was pure bliss.  I made a point of not taking as many photos this time.  I was trying to live in the moment instead of trying to capture everything on film.  I admit:  This is not easy for me!  By the time Sunday rolled around, both Jim and I were relaxed, refreshed and ready to head home. 

 

 

 

Delanie

Delanie has obviously been driving a ton during her month-long stay in Texas. :)  Remember the driver's test drama in this post??  I'm glad to hear that she put the whole thing behind her and has eagerly gotten behind the wheel.  Since she's been gone, I have gotten several texts about her driving in an empty parking lot.......then on the road around town......then on the highway.....etc. 

 

I received the SnapChat below last night.......

 

 

My youngest is definitely not a baby anymore......

 

Watch out world, she's on the roads!! :)

Flashback Friday

Happy Friday!!

 

Every year since the kids were tiny, we took family photos on July 4th.  I loved getting the Old Navy flag shirts because the date was on the front.  This year, we had a welcome home party after Ryan's first deployment overseas.  All our friends and family gathered at Carlyle Park in Grand Prairie, TX to celebrate. 

 

Carlyle Park - Summer 2003

Happy Happy Happy

Today is Garrett and Maci's FIVE YEAR anniversary!! :) 

 

 

Garrett showed up at Maci's work this morning at 12:45am with goodies....

 

They are such a fun couple.  If you're around them for more than thirty seconds, you can't help but join in the laughter! :)  They work perfectly together.  Needless to say, we are thrilled to have Maci as part of the family.  Of course, Garrett isn't too bad either! :)  

Flashback Friday

Happy Friday!!

 

I love this picture of Delanie and Lauren.  It brings back so many memories of Garrett, Lauren & Delanie (the three musketeers).  Where one was, the others were not far away. 

 

Delanie looks so sleepy and Lauren - with her rosy cheeks - is happily giving love before bed time. 

Delanie and her LaLa snuggling after bath time - 2001